Collar shaper device



Jan. 4, 1966 P. ENGLAND COLLAR SHAPER DEVICE Filed Feb. 14, 1964 INVENTOR. PAUL E NG LAND ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,227,333 (CULLAR SHAPER DEVICE Paul England, Sparta, Tenn., assignor to Spartans Industries, inc New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 344,844 6 Claims. (Cl. 223--52.1)

The present invention relates to a device for facilitating the shaping of a collar of a garment, such as a shirt, and more particularly to a collar shaping device to form and set the collar or neck-band portion of a garment having stand-up collars, such as a shirt, during a pressing or finishing operation.

In pressing garments, such as shirts or the like, it is customary and desirable to provide some means to secure and shape the collar portion thereof as the front of the garmentis being finished. Various types of collar shaping and stretching devices have been employed for the purpose of holding the collar clear of the pressing member and also to provide the proper shape to the collar. The wide variety of designs, styles and shapes, as well as sizes of collars, have made it difiicult to provide apparatus to properly shape the collar preparatory to packing after the manufacture of the shirt and to shape the collar after laundering and ironing.

In addition to differences in construction of collars, there are different styles of folding collars. In some instances, it is desirable to have the collar folded in such a manner that a predetermined constant length back of the collar is exposed. In other instances it is desirable to expose the label and frame of the collar around the label, so that a pleasing symmetrical arrangement is secured. With the continued introduction of new collar shapes by garment manufacturers, the shirt manufacturers and laundries are required to have equipment and devices for handling various types and classes of work.

In accordance with this invention, there is provided a device having sufiicient flexibility and adaptability so that a single device is readily adapted to handle a wide variety of garment collar styles and sizes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a collar shaper, which is designed and constructed as to be readily manipulated for insertion into the collar and thereafter be easily removed, and which is automatically adjustable to different sizes and shapes.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a collar shaper device, which is simple, compact and durable in construction, easy to use, inexpensive to manufacture and has a minimum number of parts.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent when the following description is considered in connection with the annexed drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a device embodying the present invention and showing it in operative position within a collar of a shirt; and

FIGURE 2 is a top plan View of the device and illustrating the movement of the operating arms.

Referring now specifically to the drawing, numeral 10 generally designates a collar shaping device made in accordance with the present invention, shown shaping a collar 11, of a conventional shape.

Device 10 has three collar engaging or shaping mem bers 12, 14- and 16, respectively. As shown, members 12 and 14 are substantially equal in size and larger than member 16, which engages the front or button portion of collar 11. Each of members 12, 14 and 16 is generally cylindrical in shape and preferably has its outer peripheral surface roughened or knurled. Members 12, 14 and 16 have their axes generally parallel.

Members 12 and 14 are spring-urged apart by means of a spring 26. Spring 26 is generally V-shaped and extends rearwardly from members 12 and 14- and terminates in a coil 28. Disposed between coil 28 and member 12 is a spring arm section 26a and disposed between coil 2% and member 14 is a spring arm section 26b. Arm 26a has a coil 30 disposed along its length and arm 26!) has a coil 32 disposed along its length. Coils 30 and 32 are vertically oriented with respect to the axes of arms 26a and 26b, and aid the user of the device in gripping and operating the device in a manner as will be disclosed hereinafter, and provide additional longitudinal and transverse flexure of arms 26a and 26b. Members 12 and 14 are rotatably journaled to the free ends of arms 26a and 26b respectively of spring 26. As shown in FIGURE 1, the ends of arms 26a and 261) are bent substantially at right angles to the axis of spring 26 as indicated at 31 and 33 respectively. Each of members 12 and 14 has a coaxial opening therethrough, in which is received the lower portion of an arm 26a and 2612, respectively. As seen in FIG. 1, the lower portion 33b of arm 26b is threaded as indicated and a nut 35 is threaded thereon. Nut 35 is of a diameter larger than the coaxial openings in member 14, so as to abut an end surface of member 14 and retain member 14 on arm 26b. Member 12 is mounted on arm 26a in an exactly similar manner.

Rotatably mounted to bent end 31 of spring arm 26a adjacent an end of member 12 is a lever arm 18. Similarly, rotatably mounted to bent end 33 of spring arm 26b adjacent a corresponding end of member 14 is a lever arm 2%. Rotatably mounted to member 16 about a corresponding end is a lever arm 22. As shown, member 16 has a coaxial threaded shaft 21 extending outwardly from one end of member 16, which passes through an opening in lever arm 22. Threaded on shaft 21 is a nut 23 having a diameter larger than the opening in lever arm 22 to maintain member 16 in rotatable position with respect to shaft 22.

Levers 18, 20 and 22 are pivotally connected adjacent one end about a pin or bolt 24, as shown. Lever 22 has an elongated, longitudinally disposed slot 34 therein, be tween pivot pin 24 and member 16.

Pivotally mounted to lever arm 18 about pivot pin 36 is a lever arm 33. Pivot pin 36 is disposed between member 12 and pivot pin 24. Pivotally mounted to lever arm 20 about pivot point 40 is a lever arm 42. Pivot point 41 is disposed between pivot pin 24 and member 14. The free ends of lever arms 38 and 4-2 are pivotally joined together by a pin or bolt 44. Pivot pin 44 is along the axis of slot 34 in lever arm 22. Interconnecting pivot pins 24 and 44 is a spring 46. When pin 44 abuts the end of slot 34 remote from member 16, arms 38 and 42 restrain arms 18 and 20, respectively, from expanding or separating further.

To use, members 12 and 14 are supported in such a manner as to be movable toward and away from each other, and member 16 is supported so as to be movable along the axis of the device 10. The operator urges spring arms 26a and 26b together, which rotates member 12 and lever arm 18 in a counterclockwise direction indicated by arrow 52 in FIGURE 2 to the position shown in shadow, and rotates member 14 and lever arm 20 in a clockwise direction as indicated by arrow 54 in FIG- URE 2, to the position shown in shadow. Lever arms 18 and 2% are pivoted about pivot point 24. Upon closing movement of lever arms 18 and 20, as seen in FIGURE 2, lever arm 22 and member 16 are moved rearwardly toward coil .28, guided by pin 44. The rearward movement of lever arm 22 extends spring 46 in tension. Lever arms 38 and 42 prevent any substantial rotational movement of lever arm 22.

The garment, not shown, is placed on a flat table in preparation for pressing or other type of finishing operation. Arms 26a and 26b of device It) are urged towards each other in the manner described above, thereby drawing members 12, 1 and 16 into their closest position. Device is inserted within collar 11 as shown in FIG- URE l. The inward force on arms 26a and 26b is removed and members 12 and 14 are urged outwardly by action of spring 2-6 and member 16 is urged forwardly into proper position to shape the collar of the garment by action of spring 46. Since members 12, 14 and 16 are freely rotatable, they do not snag or rub the inner surface of the collar as members 12, 14 and 16 are urged outwardly against the restraining force of the collar. The generally triangular perimeter formed by restrained members 12, 14 and 16 forms the desired shape of the collar. Collar-shaping device remains in the collar of the garment while the front of the garment is pressed and folded and then the device 10 is removed by retracting members 12, 14 and 16, so that collar 11 retains the proper shape.

For use in collars of different sizes or shapes, a series of holes 56 is provided in the rear end of lever arm 22, so that pin 24 can be positioned therein. By placing pin 24 in the hole closest to the rear end of lever arm 22, makes the device useful on generally narrow or smaller size collars and collar shapes with a smaller angle at the collar button. Similarly, the forward end of lever arm 22 has an additional opening 58 therein for urging the position of member 16.

The present device provides a collar shaper, which is self-adjustable to properly fit various sizes and shapes of collars, the angular disposition of lever arms 18 and 20 are automatically controlled simultaneously, with the spreading of the lever arms within collar 11 by action of spring 26. The freely journaled members 12, 14 and 16 are self-aligning to the edges of the collar to form the proper triangular shape and are urged outwardly with suflicient tension to maintain the collar-shaper in position during the pressing and folding operations.

While nuts, bolts, screws and pins are illustrated as positioning lever arms and shaping members, other fastening devices could be used. Also, while an integral, generally V-shaped spring is shown, separate leaf springs could be used or crank arms pivotally joined at one end and continually urged apart in some manner, such as by a compression spring.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that numerous changes and widely dilferent embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and it is intended that the embodiment shown in the drawing and description thereof shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. Reference is therefore to be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A collar shaping device comprising a pair of rotating cylindrical members having their axes parallel, means pivotally mounting said members so as to move along a common arc, means urging said members apart, a third cylindrical member positioned forward of and having its axis parallel to said pair of members, said third member being rotatable, and means simultaneously moving said third member toward said pair of members when said pair is approaching together, and away from said pair of members when said pair of members is separating.

2. A collar shaping device comprising a pair of shaping members, a generally V-shaped spring having each free end connected to a corresponding shaping member, said spring urging said members apart, first and second lever arms each pivotally connected to a respective one of said pair of shaping members, said first and second lever arms being pivotally connected adjacent one end, said pivotal connection disposed between said pair of shaping members, a third lever arm connected to said pivot connection, a third shaping member mounted on said third lever arm remote from said pivot connection, and means guiding said third lever arm along the axis equidistant from said pair of shaping members.

3-. A collar shaping device comprising a pair of shaping members, a generally V-shaped spring, means rotatably mounting a shaping member to a corresponding free end of said spring, said spring urging said members apart, first and second lever arms each pivotally connected to a respective one of said pair of shaping members, said first and second lever arms being pivotally connected adjacent one end, said pivotal connection diposed between said pair of shaping members, a third lever arm connected to said pivot connection, a third shaping member rotatably mounted on said third lever arm remote from said pivot connection, and means guiding said third lever arm along the axis equidistant from said pair of shaping members.

4. A collar shaper comprising a pair of shaping members, means pivotally mounting about a common point each one of said pair of shaping members, means urging said pair of shaping members apart, a support arm having its axis passing through said common pivot point and bisecting the line passing through the centers of said pair of shaping members, a third shaping member mounted adjacent the end of said arm remote from said common pivot point, and means simultaneously moving said support arm toward said common pivot point when said pair of shaping members are closing and away from said common point when said pair of shaping members is separating.

5. A collar shaping device comprising a pair of cylindrical members having parallel axes, a pair of crank arms with one end of each arm interconnected, said crank arms being movable about said interconnected ends, means urging said crank arms apart, means rotatably mounting one of said pair of cylindrical members to the other end of a corresponding arm, first and secod lever arms pivotally mounted to a respective one of said pair of cylinders, said first and second lever arms being rotatably joined, said joint disposed between said crank arms, a third lever arm connected to said last-mentioned joint, a third cylindrical member rotatably mounted on said third lever arm remote from said first and second lever arms, said third cylindrical member having its axis parallel to the axes of said pair of cylindrical members, and means guiding said third lever arm along the locus equidistant from the pair of cylindrical members.

a. A collar shaping device comprising a pair of cylindrical members having parallel axes, a pair of crank arms with one end of each arm interconnected, said crank arms being movable about said interconnected ends, means urging said crank arms apart, means rotatably mounting one of said pair of cylindrical members to the other end of a corresponding arm, first and second lever arms pivottally mounted to a respective one of said pair of cylinders, said first and second lever arms being rotatably joined, said joint disposed between said crank arms, a third lever arm connected to said last-mentioned joint, 21 third cylindrical member rotatably mounted on said third lever arm remote from said first and second lever arms, said third cylindrical member having its axis parallel to the axes of said pair of cylindrical members, said third lever arm having an elongated slot therein, a guide arm pivotally mounted to each of said first and second lever arms between said common rotatable joint and the corresponding cylindrical member mounted thereon, and means pivotally connecting the free ends of said guide arms, said last-mentioned pivot connection being guided in said slot in said third lever arm. 1

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Silva 223-431 Freeman 223-52.1 Neckel 22352.1 Renick 22352.1 Reswick et a1. 22352.1

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 10 G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A COLLAR SHAPING DEVICE COMPRISING A PAIR OF ROTATING CYLINDRICAL MEMBERS HAVING THEIR AXES PARALLEL, MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTING SAID MEMBERS SO AS TO MOVE ALONG A COMMON ARC, MEANS URGING SAID MEMBERS APART, A THIRD CYLINDRICAL MEMBER POSITIONED FORWARD OF AND HAVING ITS AXIS PARALLEL TO SAID PAIR OF MEMBERS, SAID THIRD MEMBER BEING ROTATABLE, AND MEANS SIMULTANEOUSLY MOVING SAID THIRD MEMBER TOWARD SAID PAIR OF MEMBERS WHEN SAID PAIR 